Halloween Safety for Drivers and Trick or Treaters

Halloween is the most dangerous night of the year for child pedestrians. Darting out into the street is one of the most common causes of pedestrian death among children. As children scurry from house to house collecting treats, it is important to take the following precautions:

Visibility

Decorate costumes, bags, and sacks with reflective tape and stickers.

Use costumes that are light or bright enough to make children more visible at night.

Traffic

Teach children to walk, not run, while trick-or-treating.

Remind children to stop at all street corners before crossing. Tell them to cross streets only at intersections and crosswalks.

Teach them to look left, right and left again before crossing the street and to continue looking both ways as they cross.

Teach them never to dart out into a street or cross between parked cars.

Never let children under age 12 go trick-or-treating or cross the street without adult supervision.

Motorists

Slow down in residential neighborhoods.

Obey all traffic signs and signals.

Watch for children walking in the street or on medians and curbs.

Enter and exit driveways and alleyways slowly and carefully.

Teach children to exit and enter the car on the curbside, away from traffic.